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Saturday, December 15, 2007

I found an interesting-sounding recipe for sweet potato fries. It was in the back of my mind while I was at the grocery store last weekend, so I picked up these:

They made more fries that I had anticipated and they didn't shrink in the oven the way potatoes often do.

In addition to sprinkling cumin, salt, and olive oil on the sweet potatoes, as the recipe specified, I added spicy paprika (one of my favourite spices) and crushed pepper.

As I've said before, I tend to like my food on the softer side, so I cooked it longer than 15 minutes in the oven at 425 F (probably closer to 20, including 3-4 minutes of broil).

While the fries were cooking, I made my schnitzel. Schnitzel is a food I associate with my mother. I have a distinct memory from around age 10 of getting off of the school bus, running into the house and smelling schnitzel. While there are many variations, including a more scallopini-style thickness, I usually just cut chicken-finger sized pieces for frying. I dip my chicken pieces into egg and then a bread-crumb mixture.

This bread crumb mixture is about half parmesean and half bread crumbs (I was low on bread crumbs). I also added a generous sprinkle of basil, oregano, onion and garlic powder, and pepper. I should have also added spicy paprika.

Another option would be to add a dip in flour before egg...so you use a dry, wet, dry pattern.

Fry the chicken in a hot oil pan on medium-high. Careful, it will burn if left too long. Particularly if you use cheese. Thankfully, another wierd food preference thing of mine is slightly burnt food. I like burnt potatoes, popcorn, cheese and marshmellow. Not all together, of course. My bizarre food combinations only extend to strawberries and full sour dill pickles (no mom, I am not pregnant).

The verdict: sweet potato fries are good. Not as a good as potatoes...but considering the health benefits, definitely a recipe to repeat. Schnitzel - good as always. Note: if working with frozen chicken it tastes best if it defrosts naturally in the fridge. Microwave defrosted schnitzel is distinctly less juicy.

Since we refer to family members, here's a key to clarify who's who

R - Psychgrad's hubby. Is the cook responsible for many of the recipes but usually does not post himself (unless it is to complain about our food obsession or share a dish that he loves -- usually poutine).

E- Practicing her skills as ruler of the world (or her little brother, K).

K - Cool little bro -- biding his time until he's big enough to take down E.

BACFF

The members of BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine have published a cookbook where 100% of the proceeds target children and education through the World Food Programme called School Meals. Purchases can be made by clicking the cookbook cover above.